Save the Plastic Bag Coalition v. City of Manhattan Beach: California Supreme Court Answers More Than “Paper or Plastic?” in Major Decision on Corporate Standing Under CEQA

Article

Author, Ecology Law Quarterly, March 1, 2012

Local governments across the United States have explored and implemented ordinances prohibiting grocers and other retail stores from offering customers plastic bags. In some California jurisdictions, plastic bag manufacturers have pushed back using the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In Save the Plastic Bag Coalition v. City of Manhattan Beach, the California Supreme Court not only answered the substantive question of whether adoption of a plastic bag ban requires an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), but also shed light on a major procedural question: when does a business have standing to bring a CEQA suit?